What do the Broncos have

last week, the Denver Broncos are firmly pinning their rushing game hopes on a young triumvirate of Ronnie Hillman, Knowshon Moreno and second-round pick Montee Ball.

If Hillman has a say in the matter, he’ll be the one responsible for picking up the lion’s share of the additional workload.

Hillman was a third-round selection of the Broncos last year and saw mainly spot duty in relief of McGahee. At only 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Hillman knows there are doubts he can take the pounding of a starting running back on a weekly basis. But Hillman says he’s up for the challenge.

“You get that when you’re a smaller guy,” Hillman said. “You can’t take the pounding, but I just brush it off. Of course you hear things, I’m not going to sit hear and say I don’t hear what they say, but you just got to let it go.”

Hillman points to the 22 carries he received in the Broncos loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs last season as proof he can stand up to the beating.

“Obviously, getting 22 carries in negative 13-degree-weather against the Ravens (in the divisional playoffs), they shouldn’t have much else to say about that if they’re paying attention,” Hillman said.

The skeptics would say that Hillman only ran for 83 yards in the game despite the 22 carries (a 3.8 yards per carry average). Regardless of whether it’s Hillman, Ball or a resurgent Moreno, the Broncos will need to find someone to add a second dimension to their offense.

Hillman finished the 2012 season with 85 carries for 330 yards and one touchdown.

Following the 2011 season, the Denver Broncos ended the Tim Tebow era in an instant with the signing of Peyton Manning. Though they added one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, he was aging and coming off of multiple neck surgeries.

Manning proved he was well worth the gamble with a stellar 2012 season, one of his best statistically. Still, the Broncos knew they would need a backup plan, and that led to them selecting Brock Osweiler in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Osweiler was barely used as a rookie, which shouldn't be a surprise. That will be the case as long as Manning is in town and healthy. At the same time, the Broncos are faced with the challenge of developing the 22-year-old Osweiler as they go after a Super Bowl with Manning.

What do the Broncos have? Do they have a future long-term starter or a player who will go down the same path of Brian Griese? If we only have preseason games to go off of, that will be hard to determine.

This is where fans will have to trust the organization. After all, a four-time league MVP is running the system Osweiler is learning. He has plenty of admirable traits as well.

Osweiler is 6'8" but has rare mobility for a player his size. He has great arm strength and, combined with his scrambling ability, can turn a broken play into a big one, much like Ben Roethlisberger. The big question will be his ability to read defenses.

Osweiler may be the backup to Manning, but he will have his second offensive coordinator in as many years as the team has transitioned to Adam Gase after Mike McCoy bolted for San Diego. How will that affect his progression?

Osweiler should get a long look in the team's preseason games, but fans won't really know what the team has until he gets in when it matters. If the Broncos have their way, that won't be until Manning calls it a career, hopefully with at least one more Lombardi Trophy in tow.

However, preparing Osweiler for that day needs to be a major area of focus for the team. If not, it may be soon faced with a very tough question. If Osweiler isn't the future, who is?

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